First Amendment: Religion - Free Exercise Clause

The Free Exercise Clause which gives us all the right to worship God, or not, as we choose. That means the government can’t punish you because of your religious beliefs, or because you don’t belong to a church, or believe in God.

First Amendment Religion Part II

Big Questions

Why did the Founding generation write protections for religious liberty into the First Amendment?

What is the Free Exercise Clause? What was the Founders’ vision for this provision of the First Amendment? And how has the Supreme Court interpreted it over time?

What are some of the most important areas of constitutional debate over religious liberty today?

Videos: Recorded Classes

First Amendment: Religion
Advanced Session

First Amendment: Religion
Introductory Session

First Amendment — Religion Class Briefing Document

First Amendment — Religion Class Slide Deck

First Amendment — Religion Class Worksheets

Lesson Plans

First Amendment – Free Exercise Clause Lessons

Constitution 101

Module 10: The First Amendment

Explore the Free Exercise Clause

Interactive Constitution

• Read the Text of the Constitution
• Read the Interpretations: Free Exercise Clause

Writing Rights

Historic Documents and Cases

A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom

Letter to the Society of Quakers (1789)

Letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island (1790)

Reynolds v. United States

Wisconsin v. Yoder

West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette

Employment Division v. Smith

More Resources

The Justices’ faith and their Religion Clause decisions

After a recent television discussion of the religion decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court in the just-ended term, a viewer wrote in asking why the news media kept referring to decisions by the “conservative majority” when they really were made by the “Catholic majority” on the court. Was the news media afraid to make the connection?

The Supreme Court’s Religion Conundrum

The U.S. Supreme Court’s late-night Friday order slapping down most of California’s pandemic restrictions on religious services continued a recent and strong trend among conservative justices, in particular, in favor of the Constitution’s free exercise of religion.